MSNBC.com’s Wolffe and Roberts Still Figuring Out How This Digital Integration Stuff Should Work

By Tiernan Ray

During a session at the SXSW conference today on the future of TV, MSNBC.com's executive editor Richard Wolffe interviewed the network's on-air anchor Thomas Roberts about a range of topics including the “nasty shit” that people write to him on the Internet.

MSNBC, of course, is a product of the larger NBC-Universal operation of Comcast (CMCSA).

While avoiding the acid remarks from anonymous posters, Roberts said he was enthusiastic about the give and take on Facebook (FB) and other venues regarding hot topics such as the “Defense of Marriage Act.” (He's married, and in favor of “marriage equality.”)

Wolffe observed that people love to share with friends, and so building a social network is essential for MSNBC, to be “a digital version of people gathering together in groups where they can share things in their own way.” Hence, the proliferation of “share” buttons on every piece of content

Wolffe, asked about how the site and the channel will take interactive further, said “there is a lot in the works,” and that for his part, for the moment, Thomas is focusing on things such as Twitter (TWTR) interactions, often as a follow-on to an on-air segment.

Roberts noted that it “remains untapped, how exactly you want to consume the content we produce, it remains an unwritten chapter to figure all that out” given that post-Gen X young people peruse content in a “totally different manner.”

Wolffe said, however, MSNBC.com has “a number of great ideas” about further integration of channel and site, so “stay tuned.”

Wolffe pointed out that while there are lots of potential ad formats, actually things move slowly in the ad world in terms of embracing new models, in large part because ad buyers and their clients move slowly.

“I'll be honest with you, a lot of the agency conversations are pretty basic. And it's not just the agencies, it's also the clients. Getting clearance even for basic ads is pretty hard.”

“We had plenty of creative spaces that we designed up, but we have found it difficult to find agencies that are ready to build out those spaces.”

Still, he emphasized that MSNBC has a powerful national brand that's valuable.

“People who follow us have a tremendous emotional connection to us that is well ahead of that of Apple and Nike, so I think there's a ton of work we can do, we're really exhibited, and we're looking for partners.”

Wolffe said there is a “real connection” between the practice of people “liking” a segment on, say, Facebook, and clicking through to all the videos and other materials on the site. He said about a third of MSNBC.com traffic is coming from social networks. “I just don't have the breakdown for you right now.”

An audience member asked how important it is to monetize engagement. Wolffe said executives at MSNBC definitely wanted to know about when and how it will happen, but Thomas concurred with the implication of the question, namely that the “bread and butter are TV commercials for now.”

Audience development is a key part of interactive, said Wolffe, but “how you monetize it…the obvious way is CPMs through digital video pre-rolls, but there's so much more we can do in terms of smart marketing.”

Wolffe noted strong ratings for TV were helped by audiences maintaining a “strong relationship with MSNBC throughout the day,” although “it is difficult to quantify at this point; we know digital has cemented our audience, but it is early days now.”

Thomas offered that today's kids may never have a TV set, but rather tablets only. “The work that Richard and his team are doing is future-proofing the content we have now. I'm worried, I'll be quite honest with you, are we going to go the way of Ma Bell?” citing the phenomenon of telephone “cord cutters.”

Wolffe added there are a lot of “skimmers” who surf the site without being regular viewers of the TV network. He said MSNBC is able to tell who is such a skimmer, versus a loyalist, though he declined to offer numbers for the two groups.

The thing is, it's “quite complex” because there are people coming in the door who just get referred by a link from a friend. “Whether we can actually convert them to TV is a question and whether we want to, is a more strategic question. Do we need to convert them to TV? We can have a very happy relationship with someone who never watches what we call a TV. By the nature of our size, we are reaching people beyond the TV audience.”

But again, Wolffe wouldn't say how many people MSNBC.com is reaching, joking “I've been told not to!” share the numbers.

About Tech Trader Daily

Tech Trader Daily is a blog on technology investing written by Barron’s veteran Tiernan Ray. The blog provides news, analysis and original reporting on events important to investors in software, hardware, the Internet, telecommunications and related fields. Comments and tips can be sent to: techtraderdaily@barrons.com.